Moments
by muhnemma
Summary: A series of oneshots and drabbles charting important moments in the lives of the Marauders, Lily and Severus.
1. James: New Beginnings

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the characters.

* * *

James frowned at his reflection, willing his ruffled hair to lie flat against his head on just this one occasion. As usual it disobeyed him, falling into its usual chaotic state the moment the comb had passed through it.

"It's not going to work," Sirius called idly from his bed, not looking up from the charms book he was idly flicking though. James rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the mirror, reassuring himself that the rest of his appearance was flawless, even if his hair was not. "It doesn't matter how you look," Sirius drawled, "it's your fat head that Evans has a problem with."

Without taking the time to aim, James threw the comb over his shoulder. A soft cry of disgust and a rather heavy textbook sailing past his ear told him that he had hit his target. "I'll have you know that I'm going to dazzle the fragrant Miss Evans with my wit and charm," James said, turning to give his friend a lopsided grin.

Sirius snorted. "I'll believe that when I see it. Face it, mate, you're going to muck it up somehow."

"No," James said, shaking his head. "I'm going to be on my best behaviour."

"So if that Ravenclaw fifth year who fancies you blows you a kiss," Sirius said slowly, "you won't flirt?"

"Nope."

"And if someone asks you for a demonstration of you quidditch skills, you won't get the snitch out?"

"Nope."

"And if Snivellus just happens to walk by, you'll sit still and say nothing, like a good boy?"

James heaved a deep sigh, not relishing the idea of having to keep his mouth clamped shut while Snape taunted him. "That's the idea, yeah," he said eventually.

Sirius regarded him silently for a moment, eyebrows almost disappearing beneath his hair. After a long pause he said, "Nah, I don't believe it. You're just not the reforming type."


	2. Sirius: New Beginnings

Anxiety was hot pain lancing through his stomach. The only saving grace was that he had little time to worry; after only a couple of minutes in line he heard:

"Black, Sirius!"

Sirius strode forwards, hoping that his nerves wouldn't be betrayed in the way he walked or held himself. He had good reason to be nervous: James Potter, the only friend he had made outside his family home, had been horrified when he heard that Sirius's relatives had all been Sorted into Slytherin. He would almost certainly lose the chance of making any halfway decent friends, or becoming a halfway decent person himself, should he be placed in that notorious house. He would be just like any other Black in the history of the ancient family: hate filled and steeped in the Dark Arts.

He hopped onto the rickety stool and, with trembling fingers, placed the Sorting Hat on his head.

_What do we have here? _A voice whispered inside his mind. _Another Black? I've seen many of your kind in my time. There's only one place for you. Yes, it's right here, all in your head. _Sirius's heart sank; surely this meant that he would be placed in Slytherin, just as he had feared. _Yes, _the Hat continued, _only one place. Better make it _GRYFFINDOR!


	3. Remus: New Beginnings

Remus backed away from the approaching group of Slytherins. Soon he would be against the wall and would have no choice but to grit his teeth and accept whatever beating they wanted to give him. He was good with his wand, there was no doubt about that, and if he was faced with only one opponent he would be the victor. But there were four Slytherins, and he couldn't possibly fight them all.

For a moment he wondered why they had targeted him, but there was no real reason. He was a lone Gryffindor, pale and weak after his recent transformation, and there was something undeniably strange about him. It was nothing definable, just a feeling that something was not quite right.

"Oi!" An angry voice called. As one, the Slytherins turned to the source of the voice. Three boys were striding down the corridor, or, more accurately, two were striding and the third lagged behind, hiding slightly behind his friends. "It's Potter and Black," one of the Slytherins hissed urgently.

"He's not worth it," one of his companions said, shooting a scathing look at Remus. "Let's go." The Slytherins moved away, almost breaking into a run as Potter, Black and their friend approached.

"Slime," one of Remus's rescuers spat as he approached, staring after the retreating group of Slytherins as if he longed to chase after them.

"Are you alright?" One of the boys, with a mass of ruffled black hair, asked.

Remus nodded mutely. "Th-thanks," he stuttered. "If you hadn't-"

The messy haired boy shrugged uncomfortably. "Don't mention it. It wasn't fair, what they did, picking a fight when there were four of them and one of you." He glanced down the corridor in the direction of the Great Hall. "Listen, we're going to lunch. Do you want to come with us?" In truth Remus had been coming from lunch when the Slytherins had cornered him, but he was not quite ready to leave these boys, who were not only speaking to him but had risked tangling themselves in a fight to defend him. He nodded, and the boy grinned widely. "Great!" He said. "My name's James, by the way."


	4. Peter: New Beginnings

Upon waking, an indistinct blur of various colours swam before his eyes. Throbbing pain in his hand brought him sharply back to reality. Peter groaned loudly, or, rather, he tried to, but found that making any type of human noise was quite impossible. For a moment he had forgotten, but memories of the past few hours suddenly came flooding back into his mind. Ripping apart the street where Sirius had cornered him, slicing his finger off, slipping into the safety of the sewers as a rat.

The blur above Peter rearranged itself into a pair of horn rimmed glasses, a shock of red hair and a concerned frowned. He was lying at the feet of a young boy who, if he wasn't currently bent in two to examine Peter, would be very tall. But to Peter in his diminished state, the boy was a giant even whilst crouching. The hands of the boy-giant approached him and Peter squeaked in fear, trying to scramble backwards only to be defeated by the pain in his mutilated paw.

The hands were surprisingly gentle; the boy picked up Peter with far greater care than most other boys of his age would have. Cradling Peter against his chest, the boy turned and hurried towards the house calling, "Mother! Mother, I've found something!"


	5. Severus: Kiss

She could have walked straight out of an ancient legend. Dark hair was pinned elaborately on top of her head, exposing a graceful neck to sight. The dress beneath her unbuttoned robes clung to soft curves, a gentle but tantalising hint of what lay beneath the layers of clothing. A soft pink tongue darted out to moisten her full lips as she approached, but the coolness in her eyes told Severus that she wanted little to do with him. Of course, he knew this already. What would a beauty like this woman want to do with the greasy, slimy Severus Snape? She was here to please the Dark Lord, or following his direct orders.

Truth be told, Severus was as uninterested in this woman as she was in him. He was barely able to survive the crushing weight of grief on his chest, which seemed to grow heavier with every breath. But he couldn't give a sign of his pain here. He was dry eyed, calm, unperturbed that his best friend and love was being hunted down. In this particular circle, Lily wasn't the bright, laughing young woman who charmed everyone she met. She was a mudblood, and her life was as worthless as any other of her kind.

As the woman drew nearer, her lips parting even as disgust flared in her eyes, Severus closed his eyes and imagined the fire and gleaming emeralds that he feared would soon be extinguished.


	6. Sirius: Kiss

Fourteen-year-old Sirius Black resisted the urge to give his best friend a hard jab in the ribs as James began to run his fingers repeatedly through his hair, eyes fixed on Lily. Lily, of course, was determinedly ignoring him but this didn't seem to perturb James, which meant that Sirius had no chance of staying out of a state of utter boredom during the Sorting. Remus was absent because the start of the new term had coincided with the full moon, and Peter was staring down at the table, his mouth hanging open slightly.

Drumming his fingers impatiently on the table, Sirius decided to at least try and take an interest in the Sorting ritual. As his eyes flicked to the row of first years, several pairs of eyes came to rest on him. Not many of the girls had failed to notice the changes that the summer had wrought on Sirius. His face had lost what little puppy fat it had had, revealing fine, handsome features. The roguish smile and twinkling eyes he normally sported seemed somehow more attractive than ever.

The Sorting over, Dumbledore said a few words before announcing the start of the feast. Sirius turned his attention back to the table, mouth watering in anticipation. But something more important than plates piled high with delicious food caught his eye: several girls looked quickly away from him, suddenly very interested in the floor. The boldest of their number, egged on by two giggling friends, blew Sirius a kiss before turning away, blushing furiously.

"Looks like someone fancies you," James murmured in his ear. Sirius blinked for a moment, startled into silence. After a moment of consideration, a wicked grin spread over his face and he blew a kiss to the girl, who dissolved into a fit of nervous giggles next to her suddenly frowning friends. Sirius sat back, running a hand through his loose hair. Unless he was very much mistaken, this was the kind of attention he could really enjoy.


	7. Severus: Obsession

His hands shook terribly as he approached her. Lily lay asleep in the hospital wing, pale and painfully thin from her recent bout of illness. She was better now, thank Merlin, but still too weak to resume normal life at Hogwarts. Severus liked to think that he had played a special part in her recovery by sitting at her bedside every spare minute and _willing _her to be well again.

He reached out to her and paused, his fingers trembling. What if she woke, or Madam Pomfrey came bustling back into the room? How would he explain himself? But there was no real cause for worry. Madam Pomfrey had been called away to the potions classroom (something to do with a Swelling Solution gone horribly awry) and Lily's slumber was a deep one. Steeling himself, he laid a gentle hand on the part of her he loved the most.

Lily's hair had always been a source of fascination for Severus. Long and sleek, he loved to watch it shimmer slightly in the dim candlelight of the Great Hall. Many times he had reached out to touch it only to pull back, horrified at what he had almost done. Stroking it now, it felt like silk gliding beneath his fingertips. He leaned forwards to inhale the soft smell of shampoo and the scent that was specifically Lily's, but at that moment the door swung open, admitting Madam Pomfrey and a sobbing, eight foot tall second year. Severus jerked backwards and fell off his chair with a gentle _thump_.


	8. Lily: Grief

A lot went through Lily Potter's mind in the second that it took for her to die. She mourned. Not for the loss of her life, because it had been full and she was proud of everything she had done. She was proud of her accomplishments, the husband she had chosen, and the son they had created together. She mourned for those she left behind. For Dumbledore, who would find a way to blame himself for their deaths. For Sirius, who, she realized with horror, really would be blamed for their deaths. But mostly for Harry, whose life would be snatched away before he had barely been given the chance to live it. Even if by some miracle he survived, who would take care of him? All four of his grandparents who would have loved and cherished him were dead, and the fate of his godfather seemed grim. No one would love him as well as she could.

James's light, teasing voice called her, and there was a gentle pressure on her and, and she knew that she had to leave.


	9. Severus: Glamour

The group surrounding Bellatrix Black caught Severus's eye on his first day at Hogwarts. They sprawled over the real chairs of the common room, smirking and sneering as the new first years filed past. Bellatrix was their undisputed leader. If she turned her fierce eyes onto any of them they would freeze, trying to figure out what they had done to anger her and how to placate her before she turned her wand on them. Despite her beauty (and she _was_ beautiful) Severus was terrified of her even as he was drawn to the group she commanded.

Years later, after Severus had finally gained access to the coolest of groups, he would curse his younger self, and long for the group of two he had formed with Lily.


End file.
